From 1K to 15K: How Queen B Scaled a Cultural Movement with Community

Overview

Founded by Bolaji Ajike – also known as Queen B – ROC THE BLOCK INC. began as a way to bring people together through education, celebration and service. What started as a grassroots Juneteenth festival in Tampa, created to uplift and celebrate the Black community, has grown into a full-scale cultural movement: one that now attracts over 15,000 attendees annually and brings in voices from across the country and internationally.

As the festival grew in size and scope, so did the complexity. With vendors, press, performers, public officials, and attendees all converging at Raymond James Stadium – home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers – ROC THE BLOCK INC. needed a streamlined way to manage communications, coordinate logistics, and maintain the community-driven feel that defined its early success.

With Community, ROC THE BLOCK INC. found a platform that could scale their communications to their target audience without losing the personal touch. Whether sending real-time updates or keeping people excited and engaged between events, Community became the backbone of the movement’s engagement strategy.

ROC THE BLOCK INC.’s Outreach Goals

• Ensure 1:1 personalized, centralized communication with vendors, sponsors, press, and attendees - all at scale
• Provide real-time festival updates to vendors, attendees, and volunteers festival updates and share day-off logistics
• Build year-round engagement and momentum with sponsors and attendees to encourage community engagement and reattendance 
• Make every message feel personal and purposeful and delivered exactly when people needed to hear from Bolaji

How ROC THE BLOCK INC. Uses Community to Support Their Community

• Targeted Messaging: Create sub-communities using Community’s clustering capabilities to ensure the right messages go to the right people at precisely the right time
• Seamless Coordination: Real-time updates to vendor, press, and sponsors as individual groups to streamline communication
• Year-Round Engagement: From emergency festival alerts to festival news, keep people connected long after the event

“Community has supported the engagement, growth, and sustainability of our festival. Even when we go quiet in the off-season, people re-engage instantly.” – Bolaji Ajike, ROC THE BLOCK INC.

Want to join the movement? Text ROC THE BLOCK INC. at 609-359-0529 to:

• Get details on Roc The Block’s 2025 Juneteenth celebration
• Sign up to be a vendor or sponsor
• Volunteer to be part of the team behind the scenes

Ready to explore what you can achieve with Community? Let's connect!